1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices to control production processes at sites such as factories, and more particularly to devices and methods to control information such as an order of plurality of operation processes, an operation condition of each operation process, and a result of an operation.
2. Description of the Background Art
A production of a plurality of products produced through a plurality of production processes is controlled in the following manner, for example. A control table including an indication of an order of operations and operation conditions is attached to a product. Based on the control table, an operator sets an operation condition at a production facility of each operation process and starts the operation. After the completion of the operation, the operator writes a result (a result of inspection, a measured value, or the like) of the operation into the control table.
A method to control processes related with the present invention is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 62-94252. According to the method, an operator can know an order of operation processes and an operation condition at each operation process without using the control table and the operator does not need to write a result of the operation into the control table.
According to the method to control processes disclosed in the official gazette, an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) with a readable and writable RAM (Random Access Memory) mounted on a plastic plate is employed, and, an operation condition and an operation history of every production facility can be written to the RAM. The method includes steps of writing an operation condition into an LSI card; reading an operation condition from the LSI card; writing an operation history into the LSI card; and performing progress chasing of the process by reading out the operation history written in the LSI card.
According to this method, an operation condition written into the LSI card at the step of writing an operation condition is read out from the LSI card at the step of reading an operation condition. The operation history written into the LSI card at the step of writing an operation history is read out from the LSI card at the step of performing progress chasing. Thus, the progress chasing of process is performed. One can set an operation condition at a production facility based on the operation condition written into the LSI card, and, one can perform a process control based on information on the operation result written into the LSI card. As a result, no control table is required.
According to this method, however, when an operator needs to see a content stored in the RAM of the LSI card, the operator has to go to a place where the LSI card reader is installed. There, the operator has to insert the LSI card into an LSI card reader and to look at a content displayed on a display portion of the LSI card reader. For an efficient follow-up of the process, many LSI card readers must be installed. When the LSI card reader becomes inoperative, the operator cannot see the content stored in the RAM of the LSI card and must stop the operation.
An object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method for process control, allowing an operator to readily confirm an order of operation processes, an operation condition at each operation process and so on.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method for process control, allowing an operator to readily set an operation condition of each operation process.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method for process control, allowing an operator to readily confirm a result of an operation at each process.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method for process control, allowing an operator to know an order of processes even when a computer controlling the process becomes inoperative.
A process control device according to the present invention is a process control device to control processes of producing a product with a medium attached to the product, the medium allowing a recording of data in a first recording manner and a recording of a visually recognizable image in a second recording manner, and the process control device includes: a read circuit to read data recorded in the first recording manner on the medium; a transmit circuit connected to the read circuit to transmit the data to a computer connected to the process control device; a receive circuit to receive, from the computer, process data of the product in the process based on the data; and an image recording circuit connected to the receive circuit to record an image on the medium in the second recording manner, based on the process data.
The image recording circuit records an image on a medium in the second recording manner based on process data received from the computer at receiving circuit. A next process or a process condition of the next process can be repeatedly recorded on the medium in a visually recognizable manner based on the order of processes received from the computer controlling the processes. The operator can visually and readily confirm the order of operation processes and the operation condition of each operation process.
Still preferably, the process data includes information indicating the operation condition of the next process of the product, and the image includes a barcode indicating the operation condition of the next process of the product.
Based on process data received from the computer, an operation condition is displayed as a barcode. The operator can readily input an operation condition by having a barcode reader device for setting an operation condition of production facility read the barcode.
Still preferably, the process data includes information indicating a result of an operation in a previous process of the product and the image includes a character indicating a result of an operation in the previous process of the product.
Based on the process data received from the computer, the result of the operation in the previous process is displayed as a character. The operator can readily and visually confirm the result of the operation in the previous process.
Still preferably, the receive circuit includes a circuit to receive subsequent process information indicating a plurality of following processes of the product based on the data; and the process control device further includes a recording circuit to record the subsequent process information on the medium in the first recording manner, and the image recording circuit includes a recording circuit to record a character indicating the next process on the medium in the second recording manner based on the subsequent process information recorded by the recording circuit when reception of process data by the receive circuit is impossible.
When the receiving circuit cannot receive process data from the computer, the recording circuit reads out the information indicating the plurality of following processes, which processes are recorded by the first recording circuit, and records a character indicating the next process on the medium in the second recording manner. Even when the communication between the process control device and the computer is not allowed, the operator can readily and visually confirm the following processes.
A process control method according to another aspect of the present invention is a process control method to control a process of producing a product with a medium attached to the product, which medium allowing a recording of data in a first recording manner and a recording of a visually recognizable image in a second recording manner, and which process control method includes the steps of: reading data recorded in the first recording manner on the medium; transmitting the data to a computer controlling the process; receiving process data of the product in the process based on the data from the computer; and recording an image on the medium in the second recording manner based on the process data.
In the step of recording an image, the image is recorded on the medium in the second recording manner based on the process data received from the computer at the step of receiving. Data of the next process or the operation condition of the next process or the like based on the order of processes received form the computer controlling the processes, can be repeatedly recorded on the medium in a visually recognizable manner. As a result, the operator can readily confirm the order of processes, the operation condition of each operation process and so on.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.